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Saputo Solar Farm and Battery Storage Planning Application

A lot has happened since Dairy Crest requested a screening opinion regarding a potential solar farm next to their Davidstow “cheese factory” back in September 2018. Not least of which is that Dairy Crest have been taken over by the Canadian company Saputo.

At long last Saputo have formally applied for planning permission to install a “a solar farm and associated infrastructure, including a battery storage facility and underground electricity connection to Saputo Dairy UK” on land South West of Saputo Dairy UK (SDUK), Davidstow, Camelford, Cornwall:

The map reveals that only one of the two areas shown in the original EIA request is part of this application. Consequently the stated peak power from the proposed solar PV installation is 4.2MW. According to the project’s planning statement:

Lightsource BP and Saputo Dairy UK (SDUK) have entered into a Power Purchase Agreement, which forms a contract of the sale of electricity from an energy generating asset (Solar Farm/solar PV installation) owned by the asset manager (Lightsource BP) to the consumer (SDUK) at a fixed price. This provides SDUK with both immediate savings on their electricity bill and price certainty over the operational life of the solar PV installation.

Should you wish to comment on the planning application the “Neighbour Consultation Expiry Date” is Thursday 21st May 2020.

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New Building at the Dairy Crest Waste Water Treatment Plant!

Dairy Crest have sent Cornwall Council a hybrid planning application comprising full planning permission for proposed upgrades to their existing creamery/factory, together with outline planning permission for proposed new buildings in relation to the waste water treatment plant, with all matters reserved. The address quoted on the application (ref: PA19/01034) is Dairy Crest, Blacka Lane, Davidstow, Camelford PL32 9XW

Given the assorted odours emanating on a regular basis from Dairy Crest’s existing waste water treatment plant I strongly suspect that Davidstow Parish Council and the Davidstow Residents Action Group will want to begin discussions with the Council in the very near future!

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Anaerobic Digester North West of Tregeen

Planning permission is being sought for the installation of an anaerobic digestion facility, together with associated works, plant and equipment on land North West Of Lower Tregeen, Davidstow:

Here are some extracts from the proposal’s Planning, Design & Access Statement:

Anaerobic digestion is a natural process which converts organic matter such as digestible waste (e.g. food, garden waste, farm slurry) and energy crops into energy. The main products resulting from anaerobic digestion are biogas (a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide), which is very similar to natural gas, and digestate, a bio-fertilizer. The biogas can be used to generate electricity, gas or heat, or compressed for use as a biofuel.

The farm already has permits for 75,000 t/year of feedstock to be brought to the existing structures, from where it is then stored and ultimately deployed via the surrounding farmland. This existing feedstock supply will be used for the AD Plant. The route (A39) and maximum volume of permitted feedstock will not change as a result of this application, so there would be no increase to the existing traffic generation on the surrounding roads. 1.9 The proposed development therefore offers the benefits of harvesting renewable energy and high-quality bio-fertilizer from existing supply material, using existing transport routes with no amenity impacts and predominantly permitted structures.